A MATTER OF '' LECLERC '' FORMULA : HONOURS

 

' Leclerc has his best season ' : After seven seasons in Formula 1, Charles Leclerc said he was finally ready to win the drivers' title next year. But he faces a new challenge posed by Lewis Hamilton, the seven-time champion.

After 12 years and six titles with Mercedes, Hamilton replaces Carlos Sainz as teammate to Leclerc. In an interview in November. Leclerc said Hamilton '' will bring a lot of motivation '' to Ferrari.

'' When you've a seven-time world champion joining the team, and this is the biggest move of the last many, many years, that gives a boost to the team,'' he said.

'' Everybody's proud of being part of that story. We all want to make that story as successful as possible, including me. I want to add my bit to it, having the dream in my mind of being a Formula 1 world champion.''

Leclerc, 27, said  he was excited about Hamilton's arrival for two reasons.

'' One one hand, I'm going to learn from one of the best,'' he said, '' and on the other, it's a great opportunity for me to show what I can do against such an incredible driver.''

A title challenge faded in 2022 after a strong start. Leclerc said he had matured over the past three years. He goes into next season in good form. Since the summer break, he has scored more points than any other driver.

'' I have improved in that I accept more when a weekend is not going exactly the way I want,'' he said.

'' In that past if that happened, if the car was not exactly the way I wanted, I would try to find something within it that was not there, that would push me into making mistakes.

'' I also feel like I have maximized the points a lot more throughout the season. That doesn't mean I will never cross that line again. It's always a game of trying to get as close as possible to the limit without ever stepping over.''

Fred Vasseur, the Ferrari team principal, said Leclerc '' always works hard.'' and although he '' has made mistakes, that's a part of his growth process.''

'' If I compare to last year, we were quick, which was also the characteristic of the car,'' Vassaur said. '' We were probably quicker in qualifying, and we struggled more in the race. If I see a difference, he's able to manage the race more when we need it.''

The World Students Society thanks Ian Parkes.